Sunday, February 14, 2010
Visit to Richmond
Yesterday we visited Richmond, a market-town on the north-eastern edge of the Yorkshire Dales. The car journey via Kettlewell and Leyburn takes about 1hr 20 mins and provides breath-taking views on the ascents and descents in both outward and return directions.
Richmond is an historic centre relatively untouched by the industrial revolution.There are many survivals from the Georgian period including the recently restored theatre. The castle dominates the riverward side of the town. Steep slopes from market-square to the river mean that this is not a trip for those challenged by gradients unless content to remain around the market area, with its charming cobbled streets and unmodernised shop frontages.
Strangely for a market-town there is a dearth of coffee shops or cafes. We managed to squeeze on to a table for two by a window in the crowded Finkle Gate Tearooms, and enjoyed a huge pot of tea (with extra water), and well-presented jacket potatoes. We'd rejected an equally crowded cafe at the back of the Edinburgh Woollen Shop because it seemed pointless to us to visit an attractive town only to eat in a place with no windows to look out on it.
Labels: Richmond
